Chapter 931: I Am the Host (Part 1)

Chapter 931: I Am the Host (Part 1)

Within the Huangting Kingdom, there was a small county seat named Sui'an, with "sui" meaning fulfillment and "an" meaning peace. It belonged to Yanzhou Prefecture, which was the place in the Huangting Kingdom that produced the most zhuangyuan and jinshi, a place of thriving literary education. The county was not connected to major post roads, but it abounded in scholarly families. Before Chen Ping'an entered the county town, he could see a Wenchang Tower standing atop a small hill.

In places where literary traditions have flourished since ancient times, this is often the case—you see the Wenchang Tower before you see the town.

Qingtong spread out his divine sense and surveyed the county town. It didn't seem like the kind of place that fit the saying, "The water need not be deep, for where there is a dragon, there is spirit." Yet given Qingtong's cultivation level and experience, he should have been able to detect some clues. But the rivers and streams around the county didn't even seem to have a river goddess. The entire county had extremely thin spiritual qi, martial fortune was even more meager—practically negligible—and while there were faint traces of literary fortune, they were not substantial. Most of it came from the lingering protection of ancestral blessings, from certain imperially sanctioned memorial archways and those ancestral hall plaques bearing "Jinshi and Above." There were even some in poor alleys and impoverished homes. Qingtong grew increasingly puzzled. Could his eyes be failing him? Was there some reclusive great mountain-top cultivator or a sage of merit living here in seclusion, deliberately obscuring the celestial mechanisms?

Qingtong couldn't help but ask, "Who are we here to find this time?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Not looking for anyone. Just taking a casual look. After the Tongye Prefecture branch is settled, I'll return to Luopo Mountain, and then I'll come here to live for a while... not for a long time, something like checking in at a government office. I'll open a school in a village academy and teach the children."

Previously, when Chen Ping'an had temporarily borrowed Lu Chen's Dao arts and traveled in the guise of a fourteenth-stage cultivator during that long journey, he had taken a liking to this place. The Huangting Kingdom was originally adjacent to the territory of the old Great Li Dynasty, and it was at a moderate distance from Luopo Mountain. He planned to become a teacher here in the future.

Qingtong thought he had misheard. "Village academy? Teaching children? Opening a school and becoming a teacher?"

If Chen Ping'an, who had no official scholarly rank, were about to become the mountain master of one of the seventy-two Confucian academies, or even serve as the academy head without a deputy title, Qingtong wouldn't have been so shocked.

Chen Ping'an nodded. "With my limited knowledge—barely half a bottle of ink sloshing around—I can only teach the young children."

Qingtong certainly didn't believe Chen Ping'an's words. He immediately perked up, thinking that his earlier divine sense sweep must have been careless and he had missed some traces, failing to find the true wonder of this place. In an instant, a single mustard-seed-sized wisp of his mind enveloped the entire Sui'an County—the government offices, temples, residences, streets, shops, even the bottoms of the ancient wells—but he still found nothing. After a few blinks, not giving up, Qingtong surveyed several hills and rivers outside the county, examining the origins and courses of the mountains and streams. Finally, he withdrew his divine sense and asked tentatively, "Did you take a fancy to some promising cultivation seedling?"

Chen Ping'an teased, "If you worked with my senior brother Cui, you'd definitely thrive."

Qingtong caught the implication—that he was someone who wouldn't stir without profit.

Chen Ping'an tucked his hands into his sleeves and led Qingtong into the county town. The two of them moved like people without boundaries, entering a place without people.

The streets were bustling. Because it was New Year's Eve, even though the shops on both sides were closed, everywhere was lively and festive.

Chen Ping'an said, "When I passed through here before, I looked through some local county gazetteers at the county office. There hasn't been a single jinshi in over a hundred years. It's like a barren year with poor harvest."

Only then did Qingtong remember from the twelve landscape illusion paintings that this young Hidden Official, a disciple of the Literary Sage lineage, was obviously very familiar with the imperial examination and literary craft.

Could he really be planning to stay here as an anonymous village teacher, spending his days with children in open-crotch pants and runny noses?

A master of two sects, the final disciple of the Literary Sage lineage, spending years or even over a decade just to cultivate a so-called jinshi?

Chen Ping'an said to himself, "I've already thought of a pseudonym: Dou Yi."

Qingtong asked, "Is that the 'yi' from the Yiji chapter—'The people were given grain, and all states were governed in peace'?"

Chen Ping'an seemed slightly surprised. "Oh? I didn't expect Daoist Qingtong to have such deep learning."

Qingtong twitched the corner of his mouth. "The Hidden Official flatters me."

Chen Ping'an said, "Whether it's flattery or not, I'm not sure. But the praise is real."

Qingtong thought back to Chen Ping'an's earlier words to Chen Zhenrong at the Qililong shore—"Both are important"—and consoled himself: better to be above than below.

Qingtong smiled and asked, "If the Hidden Official devoted himself to the imperial examinations, could he achieve the top score three times in a row?"

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and said, "Three top scores in a row? Don't even think about it. In the Great Li Dynasty, let alone the top three of the first rank, I might have trouble even getting into the second rank of jinshi. But if I'm in the Huangting Kingdom, helping Sui'an County bring back a jinshi plaque—that's somewhat hopeful. It's not necessarily because I'm highly learned, but in the path of literary craft, the smaller the country, the more tricks there are. There are shortcuts. The fonts on the examination papers differ in the details of the guange style, and you can arrange them according to the academic lineage of the chief examiner, associate examiners, and review officials. Just pander to their preferences."

Qingtong said, "I've heard that among your direct disciples, there's one named Cao Qinglang, a scholarly seed who was a bangyan in the Great Li Dynasty?"

If you'd talked like this earlier, I'd have invited you, Elder Qingtong, for a drink long ago.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "To add to that, besides being the bangyan in the palace examination, Cao Qinglang was also the huiyuan in the previous capital spring examination. So I think Emperor Song He's judgment was really mediocre."

If he had selected Cao Qinglang as the zhuangyuan, then when I met him at the wedding banquet in the capital last time, even if I didn't agree to that matter, I would have at least stood up to greet him.

Later, at Chunshan Academy, when Chen Ping'an chatted with his teacher about this, wasn't their opinion similar? The teacher was upset for his student, and Chen Ping'an was upset for his own disciple.

Leading Qingtong skillfully through the streets and alleys, Chen Ping'an suddenly asked out of the blue, "Earlier in the tavern, it seemed like you and Yangzhi were chatting happily about Xiao Mo? Was there some... anecdote?"

Qingtong shook his head. "No! Absolutely not!"

It was clearly a case of "no silver here"—protesting too much.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Go on, tell me. I promise I won't tip off Xiao Mo."

Regarding Xiao Mo's deeds, not only was there no record in the Haoran world, even in the Barren Wilderness world, few rumors circulated on the mountains. The Summer Retreat Palace would have recorded them if there were, and Xiao Mo himself rarely talked about his own affairs.

Qingtong still shook his head like a rattle-drum, but suddenly he laughed, quickly raised his fist to cover his mouth, and coughed.

That was clearly "no silver here" times ten.

Chen Ping'an glanced sideways. "I'll just ask Xiao Mo myself later."

Qingtong, afraid that Chen Ping'an would embellish things with Xiao Mo, had to say, "Yangzhi mentioned a small matter. She said that Xiao Mo was once entangled by a female cultivator."

Chen Ping'an's eyes immediately lit up. "How was she entangled? What's her name?"

Qingtong braced himself and said, "Her alias is Baijing. As for her Daoist titles, there were many, like changing women's clothing—frequent changes. Some of the more famous ones were 'Zhaohun,' 'Waidjing,' and 'Yaoling.'"

I've never seen her myself; I've only heard some rumors. Her swordsmanship is extremely high, her killing power immense, and her temper terrible. Baijing, like Xiao Mo, is a sword cultivator. She is also the owner of that 'Weijia' armor. She's about the same Dao age as Xiao Mo, but she broke into the Flying Ascension stage slightly earlier than him. Once, she opened a Dao field within the great sun in the Barren Wilderness, but she couldn't live there permanently and had to rebuild her residence every few hundred years. So among the demons of the Barren Wilderness who practice the art of refining the sun and worshipping the moon, half of them have to pay respects to her—they need to offer tribute to this sword cultivator.

Chen Ping'an listened to the female sword cultivator's alias and string of Daoist titles and asked curiously, "Is Baijing an incarnation of fire essence?"

Strange and marvelous beings all have their own origins.

Just the Daoist title 'Waidjing' alone was truly impressive.

Qingtong shook his head. "There have always been such guesses outside, but probably not. Earlier at the tavern, Yangzhi and I asked about that. Yangzhi said Baijing's Dao foundation and true form are not of the 'marvelous' path; she started as a demon who opened her spiritual wisdom, refining her form and climbing to the top step by step. Yangzhi also said that Feifei might be a disciple of Baijing's second generation."

Chen Ping'an grew more puzzled. "Then why did she entangle Xiao Mo? Was it a conflict over the Dao? Or a grudge between sword cultivators?"

Qingtong chuckled. "It seems Baijing set her sights on Xiao Mo and wanted to become his Dao partner. Xiao Mo refused. They fought three duels in a row. He couldn't win, so he had no choice but to flee all the way, ending up hiding at the Luo Fortress Bend, brewing wine with that Bixiao Cave Lord."

Actually, Yangzhi put it more bluntly. She said one sentence that made Qingtong feel as if the pent-up frustration in his chest was swept away, and he had been in a good mood following Chen Ping'an on his travels since then.

Yangzhi's words were: "Baijing almost slept with Xiao Mo."

Chen Ping'an said, "Yangzhi is loose-tongued. You follow her lead?"

Qingtong was speechless. If you hadn't asked, would I have said this?

Chen Ping'an rubbed his chin. "Tsk, I didn't expect our Xiao Mo to have such a story."

In this Huangting Kingdom, the Hanshi River, the Yu River, the Baihu River, and the Tiequan River, which is the upper reaches of the Baihu River, are all top-ranked river gods with proper titles.

As one of the Great Li Dynasty's vassal states, having so much water transportation could indeed be considered ancestral merit, since it inherited part of the "ancestral business" of the former Shenshui Kingdom.

Sometime later, Wu Yi, the founding ancestor of Ziyang Prefecture, returned from her travels. She rode a private ferry in the form of a colorful multi-storied boat back to her own territory. As she passed the Tiequan River, Wu Yi gracefully descended from the boat. With a flick of her sleeve, she turned the dozen or so maidservants on the ferry into a stack of talisman paper dolls. Then, silently forming hand seals, she transformed the three-story colorful boat with carved railings and painted beams into a small kernel-carved boat, pocketing it along with the stack of talismans.

The river god temple of Tiequan River was called the Jixiang Temple. Inside the temple, the painted statue was of an elegant old civil official. Sensing the thick Dao aura of the founding ancestor of Ziyang Prefecture, the statue immediately flashed with golden light, and water vapor filled the air. A tall, thin old man emerged—the local river god. In an instant, he flew over a hundred li from the temple and, seeing the cold-eyed, aloof, tall woman on the opposite bank, immediately bowed deeply, performing a grand ceremony, and shouted, "The minor god Gao Niang of Tiequan River welcomes the carriage of Dongling Yuanjun!"

Sincerity was measured by how loud the voice was.

Although he was a river god properly enshrined by the Huangting Kingdom court, he was in fact a vassal of Ziyang Prefecture. His river god temple was akin to a "family temple."

Wu Yi, the eldest daughter of the old flood dragon Cheng Longzhou, had the Daoist title Dongling and was the founding ancestor of Ziyang Prefecture. Because she was a female cultivator proficient in Daoist arts, she was honored with the title of Dongling Yuanjun.

Of course, that was a kind of overstepping—the title of Yuanjun was not something any female cultivator could wear on her head. But in the Haoran world, as long as one wasn't a Daoist nun or a mountain-and-river deity, the Confucian academies didn't care much. This was similar to the endless unorthodox temples banned by various courts in the secular world. However, in the Qingming world, where Daoist rituals were strict, only upper-fifth-tier female Daoists could be granted the title of Yuanjun—that was a hard rule established by the Great Master.

Wu Yi had always taken pride in the respectful title "Dongling Yuanjun," feeling it was not improper. At worst, outsiders were just calling her that a few hundred years early; sooner or later, she would rightfully earn the title of Yuanjun.

But today, Wu Yi frowned deeply and scolded, "What Yuanjun? Don't you know the rules?"

The Tiequan River god immediately changed his address: "The minor god greets Ancestor Dongling!"

The reason Wu Yi had changed her attitude was naturally due to her father's decree. Cheng Longzhou had ordered her to be more modest in her hometown and stop putting on those useless empty airs. Otherwise, if he ever found out that she had received a bad evaluation from Northern Mountain Lord Wei or the Great Li Ministry of Rites in the mountain-and-river assessments, he would make her go to Dafu Academy to study behind closed doors for a hundred years, so that outsiders wouldn't say that he, Cheng Longzhou, had failed to teach his children.

Not long ago, Wu Yi had taken a Fu family ferry from Old Dragon City, crossed the sea and went to Tongye Prefecture to pay respects to her father, also to congratulate him on his promotion. Wu Yi naturally dared not go empty-handed. She emptied half of Ziyang Prefecture's secret treasury as a congratulatory gift. Her younger brother, being the Hanshi River water god, could not leave his jurisdiction without permission, let alone travel across continents, so he had to ask his sister Wu Yi to deliver his gift.

Her father, Cheng Longzhou, had been promoted from vice-mountain master of Linlu Academy on Piyun Mountain to mountain master of Dafu Academy, one of the seventy-two Confucian academies on Tongye Prefecture.

For these two siblings, the only real benefit was that they no longer had to worry about their father one day using them as supplementary nourishment.

Then, as the year-end approached, Wu Yi returned to Baoping Prefecture. She made a trip to the new site of Old Dragon City, helped the Huangting Kingdom emperor broker connections with several prominent local families, and negotiated a few business deals. Then she went to the Yunlin Jiang clan near the eastern great river mouth. Finally, she went to pay respects to the Linli Count, who had a "friendship spanning generations." That old Qiantang long flood dragon, after being promoted to Grand River Marquis, had still built his residence near the Qililong Fengshui Cave. By seniority, he could barely be considered Wu Yi's uncle, but if one really wanted to be precise, they were of the same generation, since Wu Yi's Dao age was actually older than his. However, that flood dragon had good fortune—he had come from behind in the path of cultivation. While Wu Yi was still struggling to break into the Nascent Soul stage, this Qiantang long dragon had long been a Dao-achieving Nascent Soul water dragon.

Wu Yi asked lazily, "Is Xiao Luan already waiting at the manor?"

The old river god said gravely, "Reporting to Ancestor Dongling, that woman has been waiting at the manor for three days, only waiting for your carriage to return. Our Baihu River Water God Lady has always acted on the principle of 'no business at the temple for no reason.' I wonder what she's scheming this time, blockading the door like this."

He and Xiao Luan did not get along, so whenever he had a chance, he would try to trip her up in front of Wu Yi and Ziyang Prefecture.

The temple and water mansion of Baihu River were only three hundred li of waterway from Ziyang Prefecture, but before Wu Yi "came out of seclusion," there had been no friendly relations between the Baihu River Water Mansion and Ziyang Prefecture for hundreds of years.

Previously, Wu Yi had sent a flying sword letter to Ziyang Prefecture, ordering them to prepare a New Year's Eve dinner.

Prefect Huang Chu naturally dared not be negligent. He had already sent the prefecture's cultivators to purchase various delicacies from mountains and seas. The Delicacy Tower, now found at various immortal ferry ports, had sent five or six food boxes to Ziyang Prefecture just yesterday and today. One of the dishes included the specialty golden-shell crabs from Shujian Lake, and the rarest kind at that, called "bamboo branches." It was said that the Delicacy Tower in Chishui City had specially sent someone to deliver them to Ziyang Prefecture. According to rumors, even local wild cultivators from Shujian Lake would be fortunate to eat "bamboo branch" golden-shell crabs twice in their lives. Being able to eat one meal was already considered very lucky.

Wu Yi glanced at the always obedient and clever old river god. "Gao Niang, there's a seat for you at tonight's New Year's Eve dinner at the manor. Don't be late."

Not giving him a chance to flatter her, Wu Yi formed a Daoist hand seal and used a water method. Her form seemed to transform into a green stream of water and silk, with lightning and thunder crackling around her. In an instant, clouds and smoke boiled in the air, as if a dragon were tearing through the blue sky and flying away. Even the distant entire Ziyang Prefecture shook and swayed. Then, in a great hall, Wu Yi re-condensed into the tall human form of a woman and yawned.

Wu Yi was in the Jianchi Hall.

For most registered cultivators, the first thing upon returning to their mountain sect would be to visit the Ancestral Hall, offer incense, and worship their ancestors.

But Wu Yi was the founding ancestor of Ziyang Prefecture. She couldn't exactly worship herself. As for those successive puppet prefects, many of them had become her meals or items in her stomach. "A snake tries to swallow an elephant while a man's heart is not content"—they truly didn't cherish their lives. There were those who learned a bit of bedroom arts and wanted to dual-cultivate with her, those who tried to usurp her position while she was in seclusion, and those who colluded with outsiders to try to kill their master and destroy their teacher.

Ancestor Dongling's return to the manor was quite a commotion. Even in areas far from the great hall, the prefecture's registered cultivators and maids and servants all stopped their work and knelt on the ground, crying out, "Ancestor."

It didn't matter whether the founding ancestor could see or hear them; it was all about showing their sincerity.

Wu Yi turned her head and looked toward the hall's entrance, waiting for Huang Chu and the others to come and pay their respects.

It was said that a golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as one's own dog kennel. There was some truth to that.

In the past, in Baoping Prefecture, even someone at the Dragon Gate stage, let alone a Land Immortal, could roam freely and travel ostentatiously. Now, even an Nascent Soul cultivator would have to keep a low profile.

At the Tiequan River, Gao Niang stared for a long time, unable to look away. The river water at his feet, agitated by the qi of Wu Yi's escape technique, churned and surged with huge waves. The old river god didn't dare to calm the waters. He just stood there, sighing in admiration. Ancestor Dongling's water method was truly profound and divine—smoother even than his own as a proper river god. Gao Niang couldn't help but sigh and shake his head, murmuring, "Everyone has their own fate. Not worth envying."

But then Gao Niang felt a bit of heartache. The New Year's Eve dinner at Ziyang Prefecture wasn't free. If he came empty-handed, it would be rude.

It was no less stressful than attending Mountain Lord Wei's Night Tour Banquet.

Suddenly, a slightly smiling voice sounded in his ear: "Indeed, it is enviable."

Gao Niang spun around and saw a foreigner in a blue gown and long jacket, somewhat familiar. When he looked more closely, he immediately recognized the person's identity.

Really, the person had too many identities—any one of them could make his life difficult. The old river god felt that his entire lifetime of cultivation couldn't even use ten percent of its strength.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "River God Gao, no need to be so tense."

Gao Niang asked cautiously, "Mountain Lord Chen, are you here this time to reminisce with Ancestor Dongling?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "I need to discuss something with Wu Yi."

Gao Niang immediately said, "The minor god would be honored to guide Mountain Lord Chen!"

This Tiequan River god, known throughout the dynasty for the saying "Let a friend die rather than a poor Taoist; the poor Taoist will help you pick up your wallet," had a lower rank in the golden jade register than a proper river god like the one of Baihu River. The height of his temple statue was three inches shorter. But if one talked about the toughness of his golden body, he was in no way inferior to Xiao Luan. That was the advantage of having connections. In the secular dynasties, working in the government had the benefit of having someone in power. For mountain-and-river deities, having someone on the mountain was equally beneficial. Because of Tiequan River's relationship with Ziyang Prefecture, the river temple's treasury had immortal coins. With money, one could win over mountain immortals and high officials, help spread one's fame, and with fame came incense offerings. As long as the incense was thriving, there would be more sincere male and female devotees coming to burn incense devoutly, and their wishes would be answered a bit more readily.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "No rush to get to Ziyang Prefecture. I'd like to trouble River God Gao to show me around Tiequan River."

"My humble gate is honored beyond measure."

Gao Niang didn't even dare to speak loudly. Trembling, he said, "The minor god is only afraid that the scenery of Tiequan River is too ordinary to catch Mountain Lord Chen's eye."

Chen Ping'an shook his head and smiled. "I was in a hurry last time and only took a cursory look at the scenery of Tiequan River. I need to make up for it this time."

Later, when the conversation touched on the exceptionally lavish New Year's Eve dinner at Ziyang Prefecture, Chen Ping'an's expression turned somewhat strange.

Nowadays, many mountain-and-river gazettes included a line: "In a lifetime, it's rare to see two servings of bamboo branch crabs."

Probably just this sentence would cause the sales of golden-shell crabs from Shujian Lake to skyrocket. Not only would the high officials and nobles want them, but even mountain cultivators with money and connections wouldn't believe it was impossible?

Once you've eaten them, you'll want a second time. After the third or fourth time, you might think the taste is just so-so, but the people around those who can eat bamboo branch crabs multiple times—when they need to give gifts or when the golden autumn season comes around for socializing, giving this item is neither money nor common goods, so it can't be wrong.

That must be our Dong Shuijing's business acumen.

If that's not innate talent, what is?

Chen Ping'an communicated with Qingtong through heart-mind voice: "Don't you think there've been too many coincidences on this trip of ours?"

At the Bixiao Palace on Qi Crossing, Shao Yunyan and Drunk Face Madam, and the South Pond Lake Water Lord happened to be visiting; otherwise, Chen Ping'an would never have gone to South Pond Lake on his own.

Later, at Qililong Fengshui Cave, besides Cao Yong and the Pure Yang Daoist's karmic connection, they also encountered Chen Zhenrong, Qin Buyi, and their group.

And now, at this Ziyang Prefecture, the Baihu River Water God Lady Xiao Luan happened to be at the manor.

In fact, Qingtong had been walking nearby all along, wearing a bamboo hat veil and a green dharma robe, strolling leisurely by the water's edge.

Qingtong said in a miserable tone, "The matter of the painting scroll was indeed Zouzi's arrangement, but beyond that, I truly know nothing. Could all these coincidences be Zouzi's doing as well?"

Chen Ping'an was noncommittal.

Through their journey together, Qingtong had personally seen and heard Chen Ping'an deal with various water gods and cultivators. A certain thought grew stronger in Qingtong's mind: they say the same rice feeds a hundred kinds of people, but with this guy, it seemed the food of a hundred households had shaped him into a single person. Qingtong felt uneasy at heart, but for some reason, he noticed that Chen Ping'an seemed a bit distracted.

The reason he was definitely not going to South Pond Lake was because Chen Ping'an had thought of a very... irritating principle.

It was a damned principle "not found in books and not mentioned in old sayings."

Some good deeds done voluntarily—it's best if the doer does not treat them as good deeds. That would save them a lot of trouble.

This was in line with the book's principle that a gentleman does not expect gratitude for his kindness. The key was that it ensured that no matter what happened in the future, there would be no disappointment. Any return from others would then be an unexpected joy.

The reason Chen Ping'an thought this was because his student Cui Dongshan had once said something extremely "cutting" and very harsh. He said that many good people in the world do good deeds: the people are truly good, and the deeds are truly good. The only problem was that although they might not seek any return in terms of profit, they would inevitably seek some kind of echo in people's hearts. If that were the case, then in the eyes of those who received the kindness, it would be even less refreshing and less easy than the former.

Chen Ping'an continued chatting with Gao Niang and asked the river god for a few local gazetteers of the counties around Tiequan River. Gao Niang naturally agreed readily—such a small matter was as light as a goose feather.

The Yanzhou Prefecture where Sui'an County was located was actually separated from Tiequan River and Ziyang Prefecture only by Yunzhou.

In the territory of Yunzhou, the Great Li court had once found the ruins of an ancient Shu Kingdom dragon palace. The stream there had just been named Wuxi, and the water quality was excellent, like sweet spring water.

It was similar to the Longxu River back home—a stone arch bridge of similar construction had been built, but without an ancient sword hanging under it.

Qingtong asked, "We were at the Red Candle Town earlier. Won't you return to Luopo Mountain to have a look?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "That's called being timid about getting close to home."

At the Jianchi Hall of Ziyang Prefecture, Wu Yi sat high on the main dragon throne. Huang Chu led a large group of Ancestral Hall members, walking in a hurry. One by one, according to seniority, they entered the hall in orderly fashion and took their positions. Then, following Prefect Huang Chu, they all bowed to Ancestor Dongling.

Wu Yi had a meaningful smile on her face.

Because she thought of a scene that would occur in as little as ten years or as long as twenty. She believed it would be far more magnificent than this present gathering of a few kittens and puppies.

At that time, she would stand on the new imperial court of a kingdom. The only change would be that she would change her identity and become the female state preceptor. Wu Yi might wear purple robes and hold a green jade tablet—above everyone except the emperor.

Her father, who had served as a vice minister in the Huangting Kingdom for many years, had once leaked heavenly secrets to Wu Yi. The tall young man named Yu Lu, who had once been a guest at a forest villa, was actually a deposed prince of the old Lu clan dynasty.

That dragon aura on Yu Lu was, for Wu Yi, the most delicious tonic under heaven.

But at the time, since her father didn't make a move, Wu Yi naturally dared not act rashly. Competing with her father for food? Was that asking for death?

A few years ago, Wu Yi finally broke through the Golden Core bottleneck using a heterodox Daoist method and advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. The key to her future advancement to the Jade-like stage lay in the appearance of Qi Crossing. If she could successfully walk the water along that great river in the future, she believed she would become one of the few upper-fifth-tier water flood dragons on the continent.

As for her brother, who had been transferred to become the Hanshi River water god, this path was no longer possible for him. It would be too late for regret.

In any case, compared to the past, they—the remnants of the Four Seas and many land dragon palaces, the descendants of flood dragons—were already much better off. In those long years when there was no true dragon in the world, the existence of the dragon-slaying person was like a heavenly decree hanging over the heads of all flood dragon descendants. So the Nascent Soul stage was the end of the path. Her father was like that, and so was the Qiantang long dragon at the Fengshui Cave. They could only stop at this stage and absolutely dared not walk the water.

Moreover, this trip across the continent to congratulate her father brought an unexpected joy: her father personally gave her secret instructions, pointing out a bright path that could lead to the upper fifth stage.

So this return to Ziyang Prefecture was for Wu Yi to discuss relocation matters with Huang Chu. Besides emptying the treasury, Wu Yi would also take half of the prefecture's registered cultivators and go together to Tongye Prefecture to wait for a certain matter. "Discuss" was just a word—Wu Yi gave the order, and Ziyang Prefecture was to obey. As for the remaining half of the hollowed-out Ziyang Prefecture, Wu Yi would promise Prefect Huang Chu that from now on, he would not need to report anything to her, the founding ancestor. She would not interfere at all. It was equivalent to completely handing over power to Huang Chu, allowing a prefect who had been a figurehead to truly hold the reins and dominate the Huangting Kingdom.

Upon hearing the ancestor's decision, Huang Chu and the others looked at each other in shock.

What was the ancestor up to? The New Year's Eve dinner hadn't even started, and she was already dividing the family?

Wu Yi's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest. She raised her toes and tapped the floor one after another.

Huang Chu's heart tightened. He immediately said, "I will go fetch the Ancestral Hall register and let the ancestor choose disciples."

Soon, Huang Chu brought a book and respectfully presented it to the founding ancestor with both hands.

Wu Yi opened the Ziyang Prefecture register. Whenever she saw a name that pleased her, she would draw a circle around it with one finger.

In the hall, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, except for the rustling sound of the ancestor turning pages. Huang Chu didn't even dare to breathe heavily, but his heart settled a little. The ancestor had drawn circles for the earlier pages very sparingly, but most of the selections were on the middle pages. This meant that in the future Ziyang Prefecture, most of the backbone cultivators and offerings at the Dragon Gate and Observing the Sea stages would stay. If the ancestor truly kept her promise and never interfered in the prefecture's affairs again, and went away to Tongye Prefecture, that would be a great boon for Huang Chu, the puppet prefect.

Wu Yi maintained a lazy posture, looking down at the book. But she suddenly glanced up, while Huang Chu lowered his gaze.

Wu Yi tossed the book back to Huang Chu and flicked her sleeves. "Everyone except Huang Chu, leave. Go about your business."

Huang Chu put the register book into his sleeve, held his breath, and waited for the ancestor's orders.

Wu Yi stood up and walked down the steps. Huang Chu stepped back a few paces, then turned sideways. When the ancestor passed by him, he turned and followed.

Wu Yi looked displeased and asked, "Xiao Luan came uninvited this time. What exactly does she want?"

Huang Chu braced himself and answered, "She's tight-lipped. I met with her twice, but couldn't get anything out of her. She only said she wants to discuss it face to face with the ancestor."

Wu Yi's expression grew even darker. Regarding that Baihu River Water God Lady, she didn't take her seriously at all. Back when Xiao Luan first visited Ziyang Prefecture, Wu Yi had made her extremely uncomfortable. If it hadn't been for Chen Ping'an smoothing things over at the time and helping to ease the tension, Wu Yi had already made up her mind to make this Madam Xiao, known as the "Beauty Banana," drink until she vomited in her own main hall. Wasn't it said that you, the river god lady, were elegant and dignified? Then I'll make Xiao Luan show her ugly side. How would those followers who regarded you as a goddess in a painting feel when they thought of that "beautiful beyond compare" scene?

A foreign Nascent Soul old immortal once passed through the Huangting Kingdom, took a boat across the river, drank wine with friends under the moon, and on a whim, threw his wine cup into the water, turning it into a white swan.

Later, he had a brief romantic dalliance with the founding emperor of the Huangting Kingdom.

And that old immortal's "friend" was none other than Wu Yi's father, the old flood dragon Cheng Longzhou, who had humbly asked the traveling Daoist for guidance in Daoist arts.

So in Wu Yi's eyes, this Baihu River Water God Lady, whose origins were irregular and without any background, was worthy of being treated as an equal?

Yet to this day, Wu Yi still didn't know the true identity of that Daoist, not even his name.

She only remembered that the middle-aged traveling Daoist wore a yellow robe and hemp shoes, carried a sword and a whisk, and truly had the air of an immortal.

Wu Yi had asked her father once, but dared not ask again.

Cheng Longzhou had only said two things, like riddles that might as well have not been spoken.

"With a finite body, refine the endless fiery courtyard."

"Once you become a peerless Golden Core adept, a Land Immortal shall not be humiliated by a Celestial Immortal."

Clearly, her father held this traveling Daoist in great esteem.

If not for this connection, Xiao Luan would never have been able to secure her position as the Baihu River water god.

Wu Yi emphasized her tone. "Still in the mountain-sealing stance?"

Huang Chu nodded. "It's always been 'visitors stop here; no climbing allowed.'"

Wu Yi pursed her lips, her expression complex. "Can you believe it?"

Huang Chu wisely kept his mouth shut.

In less than thirty years, Luopo Mountain had gone from a nameless peak to a sect-level school.

Some mountain immortal mansions that had just established their sects—thirty years later, they might still have only taken a few disciples. The construction of the site, the establishment of the mountain protection formation, and such would barely have a rudimentary form. They would have gained a foothold in the area, become familiar with neighboring immortal mansions and the local nations, and then they could burn high incense.

So of course, Huang Chu couldn't believe it.

But how would he dare to casually comment on the rise of Luopo Mountain?

In truth, at the time, neither Wu Yi nor Ziyang Prefecture had paid much attention to Luopo Mountain, so they hadn't made much effort to cultivate a friendly relationship.

Now, even if Ziyang Prefecture wanted to curry favor with a more powerful figure, it was far too late.

That nameless Luopo Mountain near Piyun Mountain—it had made a name for itself without even trying. The newly promoted True Sun Mountain, a sect, was like a pitiful foil, a stepping stone.

As Snow Wind Temple said in a fair comment, "Bamboo Imperial Lord's celebration was actually held for Luopo Mountain."

Wu Yi immediately ordered Prefect Huang Chu to personally make a trip to the old Dragon Prefecture and deliver a belated congratulatory gift. Even knowing it might be unwelcome, a smiling face wouldn't be slapped.

At the time, the young mountain lord was not at home—he had gone traveling again. The person hosting guests on Luopo Mountain was the steward Zhu Lian, somewhat of an acquaintance. He had followed Chen Ping'an to Ziyang Prefecture before and seemed to have had a good chat with Huang Chu, reminiscing about old times.

The reason Wu Yi didn't go to Luopo Mountain herself was laughable: she couldn't swallow her pride, and even more... she dared not go.

Back then, that little black charcoal girl following Chen Ping'an had turned out to be the later female grandmaster Zheng Qian! The senior disciple of Luopo Mountain, Pei Qian (Zheng Qian).

During the battles in the central Baoping Prefecture, Wu Yi had contributed her efforts and had also seen Zheng Qian fighting on the battlefield from afar.

That young woman with her hair in a bun often killed demons while saving people at the same time.

Privately, during breaks in the fighting, when many registered immortal masters from Baoping Prefecture gathered, the conversation would eventually lead to a common sentiment: thank goodness Zheng Qian was one of their own.

The Great Li auxiliary capital even made an exception and passed a resolution allowing Zheng Qian to open a single battle line by herself when she went to the battlefield.

Wu Yi simply couldn't reconcile the image of that heroic young female grandmaster, who brought thunderous might with every strike, with that little black charcoal figure from years ago.

Wu Yi still remembered that at the banquet that night, Chen Ping'an had indeed had a little tag-along with him—a mischievous and clever little girl. She used a flimsy excuse to try to get her master Chen Ping'an to give her a taste of the prefecture's immortal brew, but in the end, she could only drink a cup of fruit drink to satisfy her craving.

Once, in the auxiliary capital, Wu Yi happened to encounter the young grandmaster walking on the street while going to visit a friend in a carriage. At that time, Wu Yi was baffled. She didn't know why Zheng Qian, known for being stern and unsmiling, would voluntarily nod to her and even have a hint of a smile on her face. Perhaps it was sincere, but to an outsider, it was actually quite creepy.

Because after Zheng Qian fought in many battles, a humorous saying began to circulate in the auxiliary capital: "Zheng Qian smiles, the battlefield suffers."

Every time she threw herself into battle, the result was like the heavens falling and the earth cracking. The places she passed were all left in ruins.

Zheng Qian only smiled when she encountered a powerful demon enemy or when she was seriously injured, as if she finally found it somewhat interesting.

Huang Chu asked, "When will the ancestor see Xiao Luan?"

Wu Yi sneered. "Let her stew for a few more hours. I'll send her away before the New Year's Eve dinner begins. She wants to discuss business with me? I'll give her three sentences."

This time, Xiao Luan brought only one attendant when she visited Ziyang Prefecture: Sun Deng, a pure martial artist and the chief offering of the Baihu River Water Mansion.

The manor arranged accommodation for them, the same as last time—at least a secluded courtyard with its own gate. The Baihu River Water God Lady's name was well-respected anywhere in the Huangting Kingdom. Even in the imperial palace of the Huangting Kingdom, Xiao Luan would be a guest of honor. Only in this Ziyang Prefecture was she powerless.

There are thousands of ways to bestow favors, but when asking for something, one only needs to bow their head.

Xiao Luan was in the room, burning incense and brewing tea. The tea set, tea leaves, and water for brewing were all brought by Xiao Luan herself. At that moment, she was drinking tea with Sun Deng. After setting down her teacup, she smiled bitterly. "I've dragged Chief Offering Sun into being a laughingstock."

The commotion in the manor earlier—the shouts of "Ancestor Dongling" resounding through the heavens, along with the ripples of Wu Yi's water method as her carriage descended—Xiao Luan could be sure that she wouldn't be able to see Wu Yi for a while.

Sun Deng said calmly, "I laugh, others laugh at me. Take ordinary things with an ordinary mind."

Xiao Luan's beautiful eyes sparkled. She smiled. "If Chief Offering Sun were a Dao cultivator, the Baihu River Water Mansion would be too small a temple."

Sun Deng shook his head. "I didn't even have much success in martial arts, let alone cultivation."

Climbing the mountain to cultivate the Dao—it required too much in terms of talent, bone structure, and immortal opportunities. Sun Deng admitted he didn't have that fate.

Xiao Luan added tea for Sun Deng. After a few casual remarks, the Baihu River Water God Lady couldn't hide her worried expression.

Last time, she was lucky to have scraped by. What about this time?

She had come this time to discuss a critical matter related to her own Dao with Wu Yi. Xiao Luan had just received a secret letter from the Huangting Kingdom Ministry of Rites. Several key water god positions that had long been vacant in the Great Li Dynasty—for example, the Tiejiang River Water Mansion, which had no master, and the Qiantang long dragon position vacated by Cao Yong—would soon be filled one by one according to precedent. The Great Li court had planned this for a long time. As a water god of a Great Li vassal state, Xiao Luan's mountain-and-river register was only sixth-rank, so of course she didn't dare to hope for too much. The most critical thing was that a certain rumor, passed around with details and as if authenticated, said that the Yuye River Water God Lady Ye Qingzhu seemed to intend to change her river jurisdiction, willing to be transferred to another place at the same rank. She was even willing to voluntarily lower her rank by half a level just to leave the Yuye River.

And in the Huangting Kingdom, the Hanshi River, which held the number one position among water gods, wanted to fill the vacancy at Tiejiang River. Since Xiao Luan's Baihu River had a similar water nature to the Hanshi River, if the Hanshi River water god could be promoted, Xiao Luan had a chance to advance as well, changing her water god golden body and temple location, and accordingly raising the height of her statue by one foot.

Of course, it wouldn't be simple.

Xiao Luan would promise Ziyang Prefecture that she would go to the Huangting Kingdom capital, meet with the emperor, and strongly recommend the Tiequan River water god for a promotion by one level to become the proper river god of Baihu River. This was not against the rules.

That's how officialdom worked: when one person's official position changed, whether promotion or demotion, it often "benefited" a batch of officials below.

In the mountain-and-river officialdom, this was especially so. Miss the chance, and you'd be staring blankly for a hundred years or even anxiously waiting for several hundred years.

Xiao Luan wanted to come here to pull some strings and try her luck. Last time, she had suffered a silent loss. If it hadn't been for someone's righteous words, she might not have even left Ziyang Prefecture alive. In recent years, Xiao Luan had indeed tried to mend fences with Ziyang Prefecture, but she had never been able to see Wu Yi again.

As for learning from the Yu River water god, who spent incense and fire to request a mountain pass from the court and go to some place to curry favor, Xiao Luan really couldn't stoop to such shameless behavior. Moreover, she was afraid of making things worse. If she actually went to Luopo Mountain, a closed door would be the least of her worries; what she feared was angering that mountain lord, who seemed to be... full of righteousness.

These years, Lady Xiao Luan had been extremely respectful to her water mansion's chief guest, Sun Deng. This pure martial artist, who had come to Baihu River midway, was the number one noble benefactor of her river god temple.

Moreover, Sun Deng had served in the Huangting Kingdom military in his early years and had personally led troops into battle. Over the years, he had indeed managed the once loosely regulated water mansion in an orderly fashion.

Since ancient times, how many brilliant scholars, beauties, heroes, and bold warriors have scattered like clouds, melted like snow, withered like flowers, waned like the moon, and gone like people scattering after a party with empty cups.

Xiao Luan didn't want to appear too despondent in front of Sun Deng, so she forced herself to be energetic and chatted with Sun Deng about some recently occurring strange tales and interesting stories from the Great Sui Dynasty.

At Tiequan River, after strolling with Gao Niang for a while, Chen Ping'an took his leave and, together with Qingtong, entered Ziyang Prefecture unnoticed, directly arriving outside the Jianchi Hall. They stood there for a moment.

Later, Wu Yi and Prefect Huang Chu walked out of the hall's threshold. In fact, two outsiders were standing right beside them, only a few feet away.

Chen Ping'an stood outside the door, his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking up at the plaque hanging high above the Ancestral Hall. It was clearly in the handwriting of Cheng Longzhou, the mountain master of Dafu Academy.

Earlier, in Sui'an County, Chen Ping'an had taken Qingtong to a crude village school with its doors tightly shut.

At that time, Chen Ping'an stood outside a row of low wooden fences, lost in thought.

All his life's achievements were in the field of the heart; the heart's abode was the room for sharpening his sword.

Tonight was New Year's Eve, a time for family reunion. Tomorrow would be the Beginning of Spring, bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.

Every year after the second day of the second lunar month, when the dragon raises its head, comes the third day of the third month, the Shangsi Festival, and then Qingming Festival, which mostly falls between mid-spring and late spring. During these times, going out is considered spring outings.

After that comes the fifth day of the fifth month.

Unknowingly, one reaches forty, a year of no confusion. Half a lifetime is spent in spring outings.